Officials OK plan to fight dirty air

FRESNO - State air regulators on Thursday approved a contested plan to reduce harmful particulate-matter pollution in the San Joaquin Valley.

The Record

FRESNO - State air regulators on Thursday approved a contested plan to reduce harmful particulate-matter pollution in the San Joaquin Valley.

The California Air Resources Board voted unanimously for the plan after about two hours of public testimony, including that of environmentalists who argued the plan will not reduce pollution quickly enough.

The plan, crafted by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, includes tougher restrictions on industry, farms and residents, and requires upgrades of factory boilers and internal combustion engines. It could also trigger more wood-burning restrictions for Valley residents.

The plan targets the most harmful pollutant in the Valley - tiny particulates, known as PM2.5, that can lodge in the lungs and worsen existing health problems.

Critics say the document relies too heavily upon a separate plan by the state to clean up dirty diesel trucks. That plan has yet to be approved.

"We think the board needs to take a very cautious approach here given the pollution problems in the Valley," said Bonnie Holmes-Gen, an advocate with the American Lung Association in Sacramento.

James Goldstene, executive officer for the state air board, said the Valley is making good progress toward meeting PM2.5 goals; the northern counties are already in compliance, he said.